HomeCOVID COMPLIANT PROCEDURES
During unprecedented times such as these – the spread of disease and the resulting pandemic – it is vital for businesses to take the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of their customers, employees, and, ultimately, their bottom line. Even during the normal of every day under very normal circumstances, every effort should be made to help prevent the spread of germs and viruses – it’s an investment well worth the effort and expense!
Commercial janitorial services that provide deep cleaning and sanitizing of your office or commercial space is important to help promote a healthy working environment, minimize cold and flu outbreaks, and even encourage better morale and productivity. It also makes a great impression on customers and visitors.
And maintaining a safe and healthy work environment that protects your employees and customers should be a priority. There are several steps you can take to keep your business environment hygienic, healthy, and pristine – effectively deep cleaned and sanitized to prevent the spread of germs, harmful viruses, and disease.
Deep cleaning/ Fogging
Even if you have regularly scheduled janitorial services on a daily or weekly basis, to ensure the safest and clean environment possible, you must include in your janitorial schedule a proper deep cleaning. The process of deep cleaning includes all areas of your business environment – foyer and reception, bathrooms, kitchen areas, and work spaces. Depending on the business, here are a few examples of what can be included in a commercial deep clean:
Dust and clean walls
Dust all doors and thoroughly clean doorknobs.
Clean all light switches
Dust vents and light fixtures
Vacuum blinds, drapes, windowsills
Dust baseboards
Move furniture and vacuum thoroughly all carpets and scrub the floors
Clean baseboards behind the furniture
Carpet cleaning
Dust, clean, and sanitize all surfaces, including computer screens and keyboards
Clean the kitchen thoroughly – appliances, refrigerator, and cabinets
Clean the restrooms thoroughly – sinks, walls, toilets, urinals
Window Cleaning
And more…
Sanitization:
As they’re frequently touched by many different people, surfaces in the workplace have a higher probability of being contaminated. For instance, handles, doorknobs, light switches, electronics, and counter tops can be the most common culprits when it comes to harboring harmful germs and viruses.
Frequently touched surfaces such as those mentioned should be sanitized regularly – twice per day – to keep them clean and help stop the potential spread of disease. Proper sanitizing is effective against all manner of bacteria, germs, viruses, and harmful allergens.
If you want to increase employee performance while stopping the spread of disease, here are 8 essentials to sanitizing your workplace:
1. Understand the difference between cleaning and sanitizing. Just because a surface looks clean doesn’t mean that it actually is. Wiping a surface can only achieve so much – sanitizing means disinfecting to remove and kill harmful germs, bacteria, and viruses.
2.Identify high-risk areas that require sanitizing. As those of us in janitorial services know, it’s important to identify those areas that are more likely to be infected with bacteria, germs, and dirt – they’ll need more frequent and thorough cleaning. These areas will include heavy foot-traffic zones such as your foyer or reception area, for example.
3.Use the proper cleaning tools. Part of properly sanitizing is making sure you’re adequately prepared with the proper tools and supplies. Review your supply closet – you’ll need more than a cloth and some cleaner. Be sure your cabinet is stocked with disinfectant solutions and sprays. Include plenty of hand sanitizers and wipes and keep them in places where they’re accessible and will be used.
4.Be aware of shared spaces, surfaces, and items. In addition to those areas that experience heavy foot traffic, you want to be aware of those areas that contain surfaces and items that are touched often by many people – hot spots for dirt, germs, and disease! Light switches, doorknobs, handrails, and faucets are among the most common surfaces that readily collect dirt and germs. These are considered points of transmission for disease-causing bacteria and must be cleaned and sanitized thoroughly and very frequently.
5.Keep electronics clean. Your typical office electronics and technology are often hotbeds for germs and bacteria! Additionally, static electricity serves to draw dust to electronics, which can exacerbate allergens and flu symptoms. A quick daily wipe with disinfectant can do wonders to help mitigate the spread of germs and viruses.
6.Keep kitchen and common eating areas clean. It should come as no surprise that your workplace eating area could be host to all manner of germs and bacteria and should have aggressive cleaning policies in place.
7.Promote personal hygiene for better employee health and well-being. Keep antibacterial hand sanitizers and soaps in ample supply. Encourage and promote a strong culture of hygiene and preventative health – hand-washing and personal cleanliness at work. If an employee is coughing or appears unwell, encourage working at home if possible and proper treatment in addition to hygiene to help prevent the spread of germs and viruses.
8.Keep a regular schedule for janitorial services. To ensure you are on top of office hygiene and cleanliness, it’s best to have a regular cleaning schedule – implemented by your staff or, ideally, a commercial janitorial service
